Spalding County deputy killed in line of duty Friday identified

GRIFFIN, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Spalding County deputy killed in the line of duty Friday has been identified.

According to the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, the fallen deputy was Sergeant Marc McIntyre. His shooting led to an hours-long standoff with the suspected gunman, identified as Todd Lamont Harper.

Early Friday morning, McIntyre was shot while responding to a domestic call in northern Spalding County on Deason Street.

A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told Atlanta News First a woman who lived in the home with the suspect ran to the neighbor’s house to call 911 after a dispute.

Investigators said when deputies arrived, the suspect fired out the window with a shotgun, shooting McIntyre in the head. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

RELATED: ‘They loved him:’ Spalding County sheriff remembers deputy shot, killed in line of duty Friday

WATCH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES GATHER AT THE GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION CRIME LAB FOR THE FALLEN DEPUTY:

Law enforcement had to use equipment to tear down part of the house to gain access to Harper. He was booked into Spalding County Jail.

“He is currently in custody in my jail, where he will stay,” Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said of the suspected gunman. “I’m not going to send him to another sheriff’s jail. He killed my deputy, he’s going to sit in my jail.”

Dix said this was not law enforcement’s first time at the home, as Harper has a documented history of mental health issues.

Another deputy was involved in the incident and was taken to a hospital with a possible broken hand, Dix said. The sheriff said he was not shot.

A procession of law enforcement vehicles escorted McIntyre’s body from the hospital to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Decatur.

Sheriff Dix said McIntyre was an Army veteran who had served in Iraq and had been with the department for more than a decade.

“He was a combat veteran that comes home to serve his community, to make the community safer, and he ends up losing his life,” said Dix. “It’s stunning.”

A GBI spokesperson confirmed Friday afternoon that the agency was involved in the investigation. Following the shooting incident, multiple law enforcement agencies, including Georgia State Patrol, responded to Deason Street and Vineyard Road, which is just outside of Griffin.

In the wake of McIntyre’s death, several law enforcement agencies and public figures have offered their condolences online. Gov. Brian Kemp asked for Georgia citizens to pray for the deputy’s loved ones.

And in a Facebook post, Spalding County State Court Judge Josh Thacker said Friday was an “unspeakably sad” day in the county.

“Sergeant McIntyre was a military veteran, a leader in the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, and mentor to the next generation of law enforcement officers,” he wrote. “I am saddened beyond words that we will need to add another name to the SO’s End of Watch monument so quickly after adding Jamie Reynolds.”

Deputy Reynolds died in 2022 after a tree fell and crushed his patrol car.

Law enforcement agencies offer condolences:

“Sheriff Labat and the women and men of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office extend our deepest condolences to the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, family, and friends, as they mourn the loss of one of their deputies killed in the line of duty today,” the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office also took to Facebook to post its condolences.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office as they mourn the loss of one of their own deputies who was killed in the line of duty earlier today,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Sending thoughts and prayers to the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office as they mourn the loss of one of their own who was killed in the line of duty earlier today,” the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

“We want to extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office and to the deputy’s family as they mourn their loss today,” the Burke County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “Let us all keep them in our thoughts as they process this terrible loss.”

“Our sincere condolences and prayers are with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office as they mourn the loss of one of their own who was killed in the line of duty earlier today,” the Banks County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.